Revision of the Anglo-Noman Dictionary (Letter V and Consolidation)

Anglo-Norman is the Norman French dialect introduced to the British Isles following the Norman conquest of 1066. Over the next four centuries, it was used extensively in nearly all aspects of public and private life (such as government, law, commerce, literature, and sciences) alongside English, Celtic languages and Latin. As a result, its historical significance and its long-term impact on the English language are immense, and its study is fundamental for our understanding of language, society and culture in the British Isles.

First started eighty years ago, the AND is unquestionably the authoritative reference work on Anglo-Norman lexis and language. However, the print first edition (AND1, 1977-1992) is now outdated, and a programme of digitization and revision started in the 1990s. This Second Edition (AND2) gradually reinvestigates all entries and applies modern academic and lexicographic standards to a much more comprehensive analysis of Anglo-Norman. Freely accessible online since 2006 (www.anglo-norman.net), the new and revised dictionary offers vastly expanded coverage, electronically searchable semantic domains, multilingual external links, and thousands of new illustrative quotations.

The present grant will see the crucial continuation of this rigorous AND2 revision by its highly experienced team of editors for the letter V, encompassing 609 existing entries. With W-Z already previously revised (during the work on G, I and S), V is the last remaining letter to be worked on, and its completion will constitute the finishing point of the Second Edition gradual progress through the alphabet.

Secondly, in order to complete AND2, the editorial team will also engage in a major consolidation of the entire dictionary, a process which is essential for ensuring overall consistency at the end of almost three decades of work. This consolidation will expand coverage with more than 200 sources published or included only during later phases of the revision (and therefore absent from large sections of the alphabet), strengthen internal cross-references, resolve the presentation of phrases under multiple entries, and maximize overall standardization of editorial methodologies. The team will ensure that all entries use editorial language that meets modern standards of diversity and inclusion, whereas any sensitive and/or discriminatory historical quotations will be contextualized appropriately with the implementation of a warning tag.

The AND editorial team will continue to use every opportunity to promote the AND as well as define and foster research on Anglo-Norman and medieval multilingual heritage through academic papers, publications, and focused interaction with the general public through social media engagement.

The achievement of the two main objectives of this grant will form a milestone in that it will see the completion of Second Edition of the AND and ensure continuity and consistency of quality and coverage throughout. It will cement this resource as an indispensable and authoritative reference work on medieval language and culture for present and future generations of academics, educators and history and language enthusiasts, - one that will advance national and international research across disciplines, provide resources for teachers and students, and enable the general public to explore Britain's linguistic and historical roots.